Small wooden stools serve the Dogon people for everyday use. There are
two distinct types. The simple, abstract ones that we have are very old
and wonderfully eroded by time, use and exposure. The more complex ones,
supported by figures representing ancestors or nommo were originally
symbols of authority for the priests or hogons and not used as stools.
Those with a post in the middle are linked with Dogon mythology. The seat
represents heaven, the base represents the earth, and the post represents
a tree, linking the two.